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Agence France-Presse

Finland remained the world’s happiest country for a seventh straight year in an annual UN sponsored World Happiness Report published on Wednesday.
And Nordic countries kept their places among the 10 most cheerful, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, stayed at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.
For the first time since the report was published more than a decade ago, the United States and Germany were not among the 20 happiest nations, coming in 23rd and 24th respectively.
Mainland China was ranked 60, with Hong Kong at 86 and self-ruled island Taiwan at 31.
In turn, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 at 12 and 13.
The report noted the happiest countries no longer included any of the world’s largest countries.
“In the top 10 countries only the Netherlands and Australia have populations over 15 million. In the whole of the top 20, only Canada and the UK have populations over 30 million.”
The key to happiness? It’s within us, one of world’s happiest people says
The sharpest decline in happiness since 2006-10 was noted in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan, while the Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases.
The happiness ranking is based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki in Finland, said that Finns’ close connection to nature and healthy work-life balance were key contributors to their life satisfaction.
In addition, Finns may have a “more attainable understanding of what a successful life is”, compared to for example the United States where success is often equated with financial gain, she said.


Finns’ strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption and free healthcare and education were also key.
“Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and high level of autonomy,” De Paola said.
This year’s report also found that younger generations were happier than their older peers in most of the world’s regions – but not all.
In North America, Australia and New Zealand, happiness among groups under 30 has dropped dramatically since 2006-10, with older generations now happier than the young.
By contrast, in Central and Eastern Europe, happiness increased substantially at all ages during the same period, while in western Europe people of all ages reported similar levels of happiness.
Happiness inequality increased in every region except Europe, which authors described as a “worrying trend”.
The rise was especially distinct among the old and in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting inequalities in “income, education, healthcare, social acceptance, trust, and the presence of supportive social environments at the family, community and national levels,” the authors said.


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United Nations

Finland is the world’s happiest country for seventh year, report says

Finland remained in the top spot, followed closely by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. Photo: Shutterstock

How to be happy? 10 keys to happiness from the author of a bestseller about achieving it – she’s a Dane, often ranked one of the world’s happiest people

Malene Rydahl speaks in Paris on wellbeing and performance. The author of Happy As a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World shares 10 secrets to happiness from her country, Denmark, regularly ranked among the most happy places in the world. Photo: Malene Rydahl

Rydahl gives a keynote address on happiness at a hospitality convention in Copenhagen in 2023. Photo: Malene Rydahl

Rydahl with French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Queen Mary of Denmark. Photo: Malene Rydahl

The cover of Rydahl’s book. Photo: www.norton.com

Rydahl with France’s prime minister and minister of education. Photo: Malene Rydahl

Denmark’s education system encourages children to think for themselves and form opinions. Photo: Shutterstock

When we do not expect much from a given situation, we are more likely to be pleasantly surprised in the end – and therefore happier. Photo: Shutterstock

Family and leisure time in general are important. Danes eat dinner around 6pm and the whole family dines together – a good model for other places. Photo: Shutterstock 

Rydahl’s book describes the 10 factors that make Denmark the world’s happiest country. Photo: Twitter/MaleneRydahl

In Denmark, maternity leave is a joint matter extended to 52 weeks in total, which can be shared more or less as the couple wishes. Photo: Shutterstock

Former Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay’s party wins election as economic strife hits ‘national happiness’

Former prime minister Tshering Tobgay’s party won Bhutan’s election won according to local media. Photo: AFP

How being kind and helping others benefit your health and happiness, as a volunteer and psychologist explain

Janet Middlemiss packs food supplies for under-served communities at the charity Feeding Hong Kong. Helping others and being kind to people can have benefits for our health and happiness. Photo: Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

Middlemiss recently travelled to Ghana to volunteer at schools and orphanages there. Photo: Janet Middlemiss

Middlemiss volunteers at the Paws United Charity Dog Adoption Centre in Repulse Bay. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Clinical psychologist Dr Joyce Chao says simple gestures of kindness can help one feel better about the world around them.

Being kind involves making a connection with others, which can be as simple as smiling at people you meet day to day, such as security guards.  Photo: Shutterstock

Once a week, Middlemiss volunteers to help special-needs children at Mother’s Choice. Photo: Janet Middlemiss

Happiness level of Hongkongers at decade low, survey finds, as concern group cites Covid ‘post-trauma’

Hongkongers are less happier than a decade ago, a survey has found. Photo: May Tse

(Left to right) Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen and fellow HK.WeCARE co-chair Sylvia Chan May-kuen, meet the press alongside Wofoo Social Enterprises executive director Christina Lee and Tung Wah College’s Professor Simon Lam. Photo: Emily Hung

News

World

Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots, with Afghanistan and Lebanon at the bottom
Rankings are based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction and other factors


Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots, with Afghanistan and Lebanon at bottom of 143 countries surveyed. Mainland China was ranked 60, with Hong Kong at 86 and self-ruled island Taiwan at 31.


Nordic countries

Costa Rica

Finland

Latvia

Finland is the world’s happiest country for seventh year, report says

Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots, with Afghanistan and Lebanon at the bottom Rankings are based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction and other factors

Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots, with Afghanistan and Lebanon at the bottom

Rankings are based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction and other factors